♪ what did we learn on the show tonight, craig?

♪ [meow] [laughter] [applause] geoff: ha ha ha. craig: good night, everybody. good night.

the nationwide flu outbreak is straining hospital emergency rooms and vaccine supply. good evening. if you haven't gotten your flu shot yet -- you, did right? >> yep, i did. >> you're probably considering it by now, but you may have trouble finding it. >> the flu is widespread in 45

states, including maryland and virginia. it's blamed for the deaths of at least 20 children nationwide. a lot of you haven't gotten that flu shot and may be out there looking. the makers of the flu vaccine tamiflu are running low on both. the state health departments say there's still an adequate supply around here of the vaccine. however, we started calling pharmacies and clinics and were told by several they're out. so you definitely want to call ahead. >> tonight i spoke with one of the nation's leaders in infectious disease research. he says we've had an early start to the season with the spike beginning in december and high activity of a pretty nasty strain of virus called h3n2. >> the trajectory is relatively early. you don't usually seat begin to have that up tick until mid to late january, then it peaks january, february, and sometimes into march. in regard to the vaccine, the

vaccine contains an h3n2 that matches pretty well with what the circulating virus. >> the doctor says getting the vaccine isn't a guarantee of not getting the flu but people who do have a much better chance. let's talk about how this virus moves so fast from one place to another. we made our ken molestina do some dirty work around here, and he shows us the germs that can cause illness that are everywhere. >> reporter: we want to show you how easy it is for these germs to get around. here's how this thing works. put some of it on your hand, you smear it around, and when you are ready, you go about your day touching things that you normally would in an office setting like this. the lotion serves as a simulated germ. and when a uv light is held to the the spread of the would-be bacteria is visible. so i wept around our newsroom

at wusa the way i normally would answering phones, touching buttons, grabbing door hams and typing on a keyboard. more on that in a second. >> it's very easy for us to pass this by touching different items. >> reporter: this micro biologist, dr. vincent lee is talking about germs that make us sick. he says they're everywhere but we hardly ever see them. remember all those things i put my hand on with the glow germ lotion? look at them now under the black light. again, these aren't real germs, but if they were, you can see just how easily i spread them all over channel 9's newsroom. >> it's extremely easy to pass what you have from your own body to a surface that is topped by someone else. >> reporter: that's how this most recent flu attacking the country has managed to strike. most of these germs aren't airborne. they're passed along almost exclusively by touch. here's another kind of contact. the ever so popular handshake. >> you can get 10,000 bacteria just across one finger. there could be millions of

bacteria on the body's surface. >> reporter: dr. lee says another thing he sees plenty of, dirty hands touching faces. he says people need to know some linger more than others. >> some could sustain themselves for hours, others for weeks. >> reporter: so the best advice is still what our mothers taught us. keep clean hands and wash them frequently. ken ken, 9news. >> while we told you some places are out of the vaccine it is available at laurel regional hospital. there is actually a free flu shot clinic next tuesday for people who live in that community. go to the hospital between 2:00 and 7:00 in the afternoon. the free flu shots are available to people 18 and over. we've got continuing coverage of the flu on our website as this high activity continues. go to wusa9.com, type in the word flu, and lucy all the storges we've done. check it out. there's a lot of information about keeping you and your family protected. while there is wide agreement on how to handle the flu on the subject of gun control, not so much.

in fact, tonight the national rifle association is blasting the white house. the group said today's closed- door meeting with vice president joe biden had more to do with taking away gun rights than protecting children. the nra says, and we quote, it will not allow law abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen, end of quote. however, there is another proposal that does seem to be getting traction. >> there is a surprising, so far, a surprising recurrence of suggss that we have universal background checks. >> currently 40% of all gun sales in this country do not require a background check. the vice president will deliver his proposal to president obama by next tuesday. there are new details about a shootings at a rural california high school. police say a 16-year-old student walked into taft high

armed with a shotgun. he shot one student, fired at another, and missed, then a teacher and student supervisor talked him into giving up his weapon. tonight that wounded student is in critical but stable condition, and according to the cops, the student had planned the attack and targeted students he felt had bullied him for more than a year. >> it goes without saying to stand there and face someone that has a shotgun, who has already discharged it and shot a student, that speaks volumes to these two young men. >> teachers and other staffers had attended a safety drill less than two hours before the shooting happened. the gun used in that shooting belonged to the gunman's brother. new tonight, a judge has ruled there is enough evidence to bring james holmes to trial. he is charged with shooting up a colorado movie theater last summer in aurora, killing 12 people inside. the judge says prosecutors have established probable cause of more than 160 felony counts.

holmes is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow. a man paid to enforce the law is suggest people should break it. virginia's attorney general, ken cuccinelli, says going to jail might be an effective way to protest a federal mandate regarding contraception. cuccinelli, a conservative republican, is rung for governor in virginia. a grim looking defense secretary leon panetta says the upcoming budget fight in congress could be a serious threat to national security of our united states. >> a severe blow to both the national and local economies with the military being very hard hit. we'll be hearing a lot more about this one in the weeks ahead, and it it could affect all of our pocketbooks. gary nurenberg is here with more. >> reporter: derek and anita, the fiscal cliff really isn't behind us. it's just lurking in the

shadows waiting for three guaranteed congressional fights. automatic spending cuts known as sequestration still kick in unless congress stops them. the country is approaching the debt limit and it won't be able to spend any more sometime next month unless congress raises the debt ceiling. and government agencies are only funded until march unless congress gives them more money, they're essentially out of business. >> the fact is looking at all three of those, we have no idea what the hell is going to happen. >> reporter: the defense secretary is seriously worried. >> this fiscal uncertainty has become a very serious threat to our national security. >> reporter: and fears the pentagon will be forced to make budget cuts -- >> which is to hollow out the defense force of this nation. >> reporter: defense contractors in the washington area solve military problems -- >> ground penetrating radar provides an image into the ground that you can recognize

very explosive hazards. >> reporter: this company in virginia makes the device but there's now a company hiring freeze with much new development on hold. >> we're totally in an uncertain place. >> reporter: steve charles is cofounder of this company in mclean. >> we actually are growing. we've expanded. we have continued to grow. but if there is a shutdown that would be an abrupt stop. >> reporter: could people lose their jobs? >> absolutely. certain contractors have contracts that expire in this february, march, april time frame. and the government will not be in a position to award new contracts. >> reporter: and given the recent congressional track record -- >> we really have no choice but to prepare for the worst. >> reporter: not bad advice for any concern that does business with the federal government. the uncertainty has businesses putting expansion, development, new hiring on hold. now, all congress has to do to stop the uncertainty is to face these three coming debates and

agree on solutions to each of them. and if recent past is prologue, derek, you know what's coming. >> nothing good, gary. thank you so much. well, eight months after former nfl star junior seau killed himself we are learning that he did indeed suffer from degenerative brain disease. the national institutes of health released a study showing that his brain had the abnormalities consistent with chronic encephalopathy. a lake braddock high school baseball player was paralyzed in a tragic diving accident. he was told he would never walk again but he proved everyone wrong. in october, balancinger received a baseball medal, and

at the ceremony he stood up and took a few steps. his medical bills are mounting, and this weekend there is a benefit to help his family pay for them. it's sunday night at national cathedral school. there is a dinner, a silent auction with everything from trips to flying less son, even a package that the nationals have donated. for more information on that benefit you can head over to our website, wusa9.com. well, do you need ambien to help you sleep at night? why the fda is going to start cracking down on just how much is in that pill that your doctor gives you. and we know you love all the dirty details, but wait until you see what kind of nasty stuff russ is serving up next in this week's food alert. i'm meteorologist topper shutt. 57 was the high. another day in paradise. your wake-up weather chilly to start. temperatures 32 to 40 by 5:00 and clouds. 7:00 30s. by 9:00, 38 to 46. now, just cloudy in the morning with a little bit of sun. we'll come back and let you

know if you need to take your

ladies, i've got a health alert for all of us tonight. there could be a new way to detect two dangerous forms of cancer before it is too late. there's a good chance you've already had this test. i'm talking about a pap smear. it is used to detect cervical cancer but it may also find cervical cancers as well. doctors are using a genome sequencing with this. it's super early in the research. they're going into the next phase. right now there's no reliable way to pick up ovarian cancer early, so this could be great news. more news specific to women. if you take ambien to help you sleep your dosage will be cut in half. the fda is ordering drug companies to make the change saying the drug causes morning after drowsiness and can lead to car accidents. that's what happened to robert

kennedy's daughter carrie last summer. she crashed into a semi. women's bodies metabolize the drug more slowly. the fda also recommends lowering the dose for men but it won't be mandatory. it causes drowsiness because it acts on different brain chemicals that contribute to sleepiness in the brain. >> so if you take ambien right now they're saying you should take your current dose but talk to your doctor about the change. rats, mice, no hot water, and more tonight. we target a famous hamburger chain and a doughnut shop known for its coffee. we got some scary mcnuggets, some scary stuff next to doughnuts. we got russ ptacek. >> reporter: if you think the only good rat is a dead rat, tonight we do have one good rat but we've got bad rats, too, and they are all caught on tape. >> they got closed for

sanitation problems. >> okay. see ya. >> reporter: that's one drive- through customer gone at dunkin' donuts in takoma park. the health department says this dumpster is where part of the problem was. okay, yeah. take a look. at least that one is dead. besides the rat, we found behind the restaurant, inspectors cited dunkin' donuts for rodent poisoning at the base of their doughnut case alongside mouse droppings. the franchise owner declined to allow our cameras to see their kitchen. dunkin' donuts issued a statement saying franchisees are required to attend training courses on proper health and that it immediately sent a certified operation manager to ensure all appropriate dunkin' donuts food safety guidelines are being followed. officials also inspect the warehouses where restaurants get their food. they suspended sam wang produce for hand washing violations, no one certified in food safety,

and rodents, which we heard scurrying around under the loading dock, just walking up. inside the highlighted circle you can barely see it at regular speed -- >> i just saw two rats. >> reporter: watch our slow mo. there's the rat in the center, then it goes right back under the dock. on to mcdonald's on m street northwest. inspectors cited chicken mcnuggets at unsafe temperatures, hamburgers and grilled chicken at unsafe temperatures, and for operating with no hot water. >> they usually do a pretty bustling business. not having hot water, that's a problem. >> i have not eaten here and i will not. have a good one. >> reporter: mcdonald's issued a statement saying it was an unexpected decrease in the water temperature and that mcdonald's has consistent procedures in place for checking and has reinforced those procedures to all employees. at delta produce inspectors

suspended the warehouse for operating without anyone certified in safe food handling and without a license. the manager called the license a paperwork mix-up. in bethesda, the manager sorted through debris on the floor with me. inspectors cited bangkok garden for 26 violations including rats, roaches, food at unsafe temperatures, and mice. the manager says they have taken extra precautions to clean up. >> yeah, right. >> reporter: so you have it under control? >> yes, right, it's under control now. >> reporter: he allowed us to make a thorough search, and except for that one long dead bug -- i don't see any signs of rodents. >> thank you. >> reporter: so that's success. >> reporter: they all passed prior to our visit, and they are all back in business. i'm investigative reporter russ ptacek, 9news. >> mcnuggets, doughnuts, all the good foods. >> he's going after it. he gets down on his knees with the gloves on. did you see him with the

camera? >> let me tell awe gross story. >> let's get to the weather. >> we're not going to stop him. >> come on. >> a friend of mine was at take- out one night, and he's eating the take-out, and he comes across the roach, pulls it out, and keeps eating. that's the kind of friends i have. >> and we needed to know that. >> classy. >> stay classy, d.c. let's start with our live michael & son weather cam. 57 was the high. our average high is 42. this is stay sties tiely the coldest time -- statistically the coldest time of the year. you'd never know it. dew points upper 20s. not that terribly dry. your hands aren't cracking yet. pressure is steady, 30.53 inches of mercury. kind of high. we are going to track this storm. this is like april or march in terms of the track. what jumps out at you here? showers, thunderstorms? look how far north the rain is going.

that's what's crazy. minneapolis rain, chicago rain. we had this earlier. 320 consecutive dance in chicago they have not had more than an inch of snow. they've had under an inch, but not more than an inch. that's unusual. some of the clouds filling in but the showers will not get in for the most part until tomorrow afternoon. the exception the mountains. i think we will have a dry morning commute. no shortage of clouds. clouds tonight and early tomorrow. in fact, here's our futurecast. 6:30 in the morning, notice no green blobs. that's good. then by 1:00, trying to walk to lunch, may be some showers south of 95, south of town, down toward 95, but most of the activity is down in cumberland, oakland, petersburg. we get into the evening commute. by and large the heaviest activity and the most numerous showers will be north of town, gaithersburg, frederick, but i think we're going to have some

wet roads coming home tomorrow. after that everything zooms out of here and we'll see drier air return in time for saturday. mainly dry morning commute, then showers, mainly afternoon showers, heavier north and west. still seasonably mild, not as warm as today but still 50, that's good deal. then the weekend, we are going to be in an april time warp this weekend. next three days, our 9 weather alerts will keep green for now. warmer saturday, 64. a few clouds sunday with showers. but, yeah, crazy warm, highs near 70. you can play golf, take a walk on the canal, do anything you want on saturday or sunday. even monday is okay. some showers, 60s, but not a washout. steadier rain as we get into tuesday and wednesday, then, oh yeah, we're in january. thursday cold, 35. that we're going to focus on the crazy warm, which is crazy good. >> okay. big football weekend, sir. who you got?

>> ravens, denver. i think the broncos. >> me, too. extra oxygen tanks, thermal underwear and gloves. not mittens, gloves. that's what baltimore is going to need in denver this week for the cold temperatures and hot peyton manning. turns out there's more damage to rgiii's knee than

was the original injury just a sprain? why was rgiii still running when he seemed to be laboring so much? why would a doctor paid by the skins make a statement that seemed to throw the franchise under the bus, then backtrack? the team not talking about any of that so those answers might be hard to unearth what. we do know is the season is over, rgiii's knee is spaghetti, and dr. andrews repaired it. today dr. mark, who served as consultant, says the meniscus was repaired as well. by the way, dr. andrews didn't

mention. that both, however, believe griffin can be ready for the season next year. dr. andrews did say, griffin is already waiting on me to start rehab. a fine young man with great talent. we're looking forward to get him ready for next season. denver v ravens. i'm calling this the senior citizens aarp bowl. peyton manning leads his mile high hot broncos against ray lewis and the ravens. he will wiz insists stopping denver is more than just stopping 18. >> for my team, it ain't about facing peyton. it's about facing the denver broncos. as a team that's our number one goal. going to play the team that's won 11 straight games, they're playing at a very hot streak, arguably the best team in football. >> ravens-broncos 4:30 saturday right here on wusa. the winner heads to the

championship. right here on wusa. college basketball, george mason hosting old dominion, oh du. oh du odorous tonight. they stunk up the joint. george mason getting 15 from patrick holloway. george mason wins 71-46. for the ladies, the lady terps hosting miami, that's a big turtle. that's a huge tuttle right there. it's domestic nearing in its presence. maryland rolling 84-62. thanks to the 20,000 voters who logged on and selected our game of the week, ladies basketball first place on the line, highlights at 11:00. finally, it's a sight redskins fans did not want to see, the official flag of seattle flying over d.c.

seattle is now calling it the battle at wounded knee. >> oh, are they really. that's nasty. we don't like that at